1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multi-party, multi-purpose and collapsible fitness machine geared towards usage by three or more persons simultaneously performing various types of muscle building and toning as well as cardiovascular exercises.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
It is a well documented fact that there exist multitudes of exercise apparatus which in unison or individually can be used to perform various types of muscle building and toning as well as cardiovascular exercises. However, acquiring a selection of a multitude of individual exercise apparatus to perform all types of exercises requires a lot of floor space and a lot of money. This is beyond the means of most users of exercise machines. The multi-party, multi-purpose fitness machine is designed with this in mind and is geared towards the family unit where members of a family can work out together simultaneously on one simple efficient machine offering a wide range of exercises for building and toning various muscles of the body as well as for performing cardiovascular exercises to condition the heart. This invention advocates that a family that works out together stays fit and united forever.
If one were to examine many of the brochures and infomercials for fitness machines and if one were to visit sporting equipment outlets as well as most gyms, one would find that most multi-station exercise apparatus available on the market today are complicated as they all invariably use a set of complex cable and pulley systems for generating forces and securing variable weights to provide resistance. This complexity makes such fitness machines difficult to manufacture, set up and maintain and quite expensive as a result. In the present invention, the design bypasses this approach thereby completely eliminating the need for cables and pulleys. This in turn translates into reduced cost for manufacturing, set up and maintenance thus making the present invention much more affordable.
Most multi-station fitness machines require large floor areas and bigger headroom as a result of their complex makeup. This limits their acceptance by many users who cannot spare prime floor areas for such machines as gym space utilization efficiency (GSUE) of such machines gets excessively high. Gym space utilization efficiency or GSUE as it applies to multi-station fitness machines having capabilities for a variety of exercises is the ratio of the projected floor area occupied by such fitness machine divided by the maximum number of simultaneous users. For instance, if a multi-station fitness equipment occupies a projected floor area of 7 feet by 8 feet (56 sq. ft.) and a maximum of two people can use the equipment simultaneously, the GSUE then becomes 28 sq. ft. per user. If on the other hand, the multi-station fitness equipment can only be used by one person at any given time, the GSUE becomes 56 sq. ft. per person which basically limits the cost effectiveness of such multi-station fitness machine. My present invention occupies a projected floor area of approximately 6 ft. by 9 ft (54 sq. ft.) under maximum usage. It has capability for over thirty different exercises. It is designed to accommodate three or more users working on it simultaneously. A maximum of five users can work on it at the same time which gives it a GSUE of 11 sq. ft. per user thus ranking it among the top cost effective fitness machines to own.
Most multi-station exercise machines are not built for simultaneous use by multiple users. The fact that a fitness machine is multi-station does not necessarily translate into multi-usage where three or more people can simultaneously work on it. The multi-station capability is only for the variety of exercises that one individual can perform on the machine at any given time by changing the type of exercise to develop a specific set of muscles. Most do not have the capability for three or more people to simultaneously work out on the same machine. As explained above, the present invention is specifically designed to accommodate three or more users and as many as five users working on it simultaneously.
Most multi-station exercise machines are geared towards building and toning the different superficial muscles of the body with no accommodation for cardiovascular exercises to benefit the heart. This invention combines a stepper mechanism to simulate stair climbing for purposes of cardiovascular workout.
Most multi-station fitness machines are not built to be collapsible in some form to reduce the projected floor area they occupy when they are not being used. The present invention is designed to be collapsible. This gives the present invention the capability to be placed in a small room where it can interchangeably share floor space with other small furniture. During exercise session, the small furniture can be moved out of the way temporarily allowing the fitness machine to be unfolded and/or extended into the freed space. When the exercise session is over, the machine is retracted and/or folded back for stowage thus freeing up needed space for the furniture.
Most multi-station fitness machines have limited capability for the user to change the positions of the levers to suit his/her physical stature to comfortably perform the various exercises. The present invention has flexibility built into it whereby adjustments in the force application levers and resistance mechanisms can be made with minimal effort to suit the specific needs and physical stature of the user. Short, tall, small or big people can use the machine without being encumbered.